An ornate mosaic floor from a Byzantine monastery has been found in Israel’s northern Negev desert.

Colourful birds, leaves and floral motifs adorn the Byzantine mosaic and inscriptions in both Greek and Syriac, helped archaeologists date the mosaics to the 6th century AD.

The discovery was made by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) during work to build a road in the area.

The IAA said the building, found near the Byzantine settlement of Horbat Hur, is one in a series of monasteries.

The buildings foundations and the the mosaics will be re-located to the Wadi ‘Attir project near Hura.